Numbers Game

Last week my work group got together after work to celebrate the May birthdays.  This month the 2-for-1 margaritas led to a rather interesting conversation.  Very randomly and out of the blue, Annie (names changed to protect the inebriated) asked me if I was dating anyone right now.  To which I replied I wasn't.  Annie said that she didn't think I was because I haven't been as relaxed lately.

Huh?

Emily asked how Annie knew.  Annie said, "Well she's not relaxed because she's not getting laid regularly.  Cue me almost snorting my margarita and Emily's eyes getting as big as saucers.  Emily said to me in a really low voice, "You mean you aren't a virgin?"

Cue me almost snorting my margarita.  Again.

I just shook my head no and Emily gasped.  Annie said, "You didn't have sex before you were married?"  Emily said that she hadn't.  I just said that it is perfectly honorable and there is nothing wrong with having or not having sex before marriage.  At this point, Mary jumped into the conversation and asked Emily if she never wonder what sex would be like with someone other than her husband.

Emily said that she never had.  that her husband was The One.  She asked Mary if she had sex before she got married.  Mary said yes, but it was just one person.  To which Emily asked if she ever wondered about the first guy.  Mary said no because they were teenagers and sex as an adult was totally different.

At this point, I was just wanting to melt under the table.  While I love my coworkers, hearing about their married sex lives is just really a TMI for me.  Then the tables turned on me.  Emily asked if I had slept with a lot of people.  My first response was to ask her to define a lot, but I just told her that was personal.

And it is personal.  I explained to my curious and inebriated coworkers that wile talking about sex every now and then is okay, giving them my number is not.  Annie got a bit huffy saying that a person's number isn't something that is over personal and that I must be ashamed of my number.  I didn't get a chance to respond because Emily changed the subject.

I guess maybe to some people their number of past sexual partners is no big deal.  And some people may be ashamed of their number.  But I'm not one of the (who's ashamed, that is).  I just think that your number is just that.  Your number.  There are very few people in this world who know my number.  My very best and dearest friend, my sister, and the guys I've slept with.

And that is all that will ever know.

Written for Rantings of a Single Girl